Dogs

Nancy and Taurus

Cheri and Bandit

I'm certain that Bandit is as big as Taurus' head. And that's a peek at my hair these days.

TGTWIO--Thank God this week is over!

Aaron did a presentation on greyhounds today. Taurus got to go to school. We learned that Taurus' crooked tooth & nose came from one of his great grand sires, Mi Designer.

Mi Designer

I always thought it came from a muzzle accident of some sort. Taurus raced as Neo Wild. His sire was Deuce's Wild. Deuce's Wild's dam was Pooky's Rowdy (no pictures.) And her sire was Mi Designer. Deuce's Wild

Taurus

I found out today that the claim from my first biopsy that finally got paid Feb. 4, did not in fact get paid. The insurance company called the money back-they "unpaid" it. After another 35 minutes on the phone (to be added to the 12 hours or so already) she told me that they didn't submit it in the right amount of time. She phoned the provider, left a message for them to provide the time log of when the claim was initially submitted and that's where we left it today.

The boys are on spring break this week. Nate's going to do a special program on Lego robotics this week with Hudson. Aaron's going to come with me and go to my studies. We'll find some good things to do in the afternoons. Taurus gets his teeth cleaned on Thursday.

First mammo since surgery a year ago

I had a bad experience. You know, I'm not sure what would make it OK. Not much really. They can't take it back. Time at this point. Time heals. Well it isn't moving along fast enough.

I did tell the tech that I've had occassional discomfort in my affected breast. (Now that sounds so clinical. But it doesn't have cancer in it anymore. It doesn't sound right to say my "surgered" breast. My broken breast? My half a breast? My right breast? I think that could do.) During the mammo, I just wanted it over with as fast as possible. I never said stop but I did tell her it hurt and to hurry. She did two of each and then I had to do two more on the right. I did expect some discomfort. But not to be in tears when she was doing them. That's not right. And really--was I going to say something like: Oh excuse me I think this machine is in the wrong place--or are you sure that's the right tray to use for my mammogram? No I don't think so. However, I do have the right to stop the tech. Or to request another tech to finish. And so today--a full 48 hours later--I have pain in my sternum, armpit, side, under my breast, swelling of my breast. Lightly touching these areas is painful. Choices--not a whole lot. I have to go. I will not go back to that tech. I left a message with the oncologist. I spoke to the director of the mammo clinic. She'll talk to the tech. If they don't have this feedback, they cannot make changes. If you have had a bad experience--call the director of your clinic. Surgery or not, it shouldn't hurt like this. I know my other ones never did. Discomfort perhaps-but no tears! It ought to feel like getting your blood pressure done. Unless of course you go to my oncologist's office and they use a machine that pumps it up way too high and your arm turns red. In that case--that's too hard. Ask them to do it manually. You might be thinking that I'm just too sensitive to pain these days. I don't think that. If I were more sensitive, I might have stopped her from hurting me further. It all gives me a stomach ache.

The good news is that there's nothing there. I'm free and clear for six more months. Then I go back. The director told me to call her when it's time to make my appointment and she would ensure that I got the right tech. The tech who did my mammo the day of surgery was perfect. I requested her.

Two days in a row, I woke up at 2 am and didn't go back to sleep. I don't mind waking up but to not go back to sleep, that's crazy. That's how this has bothered me. I'm going to try a nap. And so the saga continues...and these are the days of our lives.

you should write...

For those of you mulling over our discussion, you should write. Why not? Or at least send me your comments. I just want to know what you're thinking about the candidates, etc. It's so much fun!!!

Before dinner yesterday, we went out and flew some kites. You've got to love flying a kite in March. The boys did pretty well on their own. Aaron learned which way to run. If you run with the wind, the kite flops. It was kind of fun.

On a celebrating note...

It's been one year since I had surgery. I go for mammorgrams on the 23rd. Start praying. I don't know what to think. How could there be cancer there after all the chemo and radiation? How do I even know for sure? I don't. I do know that the Lord has the plan for my life. Whatever that might be. I know that He got me this far and will take me the rest of the way. I am confident of that.

So you're not chickens

But I do want some blogging going on. This is a blog not a monologue.

Going to church doesn't make you Mormon, Christian, Jewish or Catholic. Church is how you practice religion. Belief that Jesus was who he said he was is different than religion. Since the media has brought up this whole religion thing, I want to know about all the candidates and what they believe. I'd like an honest answer about all of their beliefs. Jay suggested the League of Women Voters. They do provide info about the candidates. Any other places you can think of to find info?

What specifically makes you like one candidate over another? Unfortunately, TV is where we see the candidates acting the way they are acting. It makes me form beliefs, true or untrue, based on how I feel about how they are acting.

Did anyone see the Geraldine Ferrarro interview on Good Morning America? He said, she said, he said, she said. Everyone says their comments were taken out of context. She really made some good points. She's on the finance committee that Barack wanted her fired from. She's not part of the Clinton campaign. There's nothing to be fired from. I do wonder if Obama would have gotten as far if he were the traditional kind of candidate. I don't think Ferrarro was being racist. I know a president has all kinds of advisers and experience does count for something. An inexperienced candidate wouldn't be making decisions in a vacuum. How about the whole Obama-Clinton ticket or the Clinton-Obama ticket? Did she really think he'd go for being VP? Or are they just testing the waters? It seems a bit contrived to me.

Send me something interesting if you don't want to post. I could add your comments anonymously. Anything? Anything?

Oh, you chickens...

No comments? Come on, just talk...

Obama seems to have won Wyoming. Is Hillary pouting? Since we have all seen her recently when she went into second place and when she was unhappy the Barack was criticising her health plan.

I went to the democrats.org to find out who won the Texas caucus. The main headlines on the democrat site were: Bush backs McCain, John McCain-No change, McCain Backs Criminalization...again, Countdown to McCain's Iraq Withdrawal, McCain hires Another Lobbyist and McCain Trying to Distance Himself from Bush? I bet all of these articles are written with the highest of journalistic standards.

Nate's getting glasses. He's actually getting bi-focals. Crazy-isn't it? The doc said it will help him to be able to read a book and also see the board better. Aaron doesn't need them. Taurus needs his teeth cleaned. I went to a new vet who gave him a very thorough exam. We'll get his teeth done within the month. Nate starts CSAP on Monday--it's like MCAS in Massachusetts. State testing of kids' skill levels. The boys went to my dentist for cleanings. Nate said he was the best dentist ever. Such a relief when it works out.

What have we done for fun? Absolutely nothing this weekend. We went to the library, to the bank, out to lunch and then we read all the rest of the day. Now we're watching Kicking and Screaming, a Will Ferrell movie where a parent goes over the top with his kid's soccer team. Have you seen pictures of him for his new movie-Semi-Pro? He has that afro with a headband? If I got a headband, and fluffed my hair, I could look almost like him!!!! My hair is curly and about 4 1/2 inches long. We just measured. I got some mousse. If I dry it, it goes big & fluffy, so I don't. I just air dry it.

And now I have to watch The Bad News Bears. Yippee! It's the re-make with Billy-Bob Thornton.

Let's talk politics

Uh-oh--politics. Barack or Hillary? McCain? I'm a registered Independent. That's code for "I don't like any of my choices." I haven't liked any presidential candidates for a long time. I don't feel any affinity towards either party. In fact, the last person I voted for with confidence that I remember was Bill Clinton in his first term. It's down hill from there. I've abstained from voting for president when I didn't like either candidate.

That brings me to learning about the candidates. Where can you find the truth or the facts that aren't skewed? Each person's website spins it in their favor. Even FOX news and CNN seem particularly biased. My Dad sent me a government site that tracks congress and how members voted: http://www.govtrack.us/ You can find out how the senators have voted over time. There's lots of other info there.

How are you making your decision about voting? I'm already tired of hearing bits and pieces. McCain's 100 years in Iraq: We've been in Japan and Korea for 50-60 years. His point was that our servicemen and women are safe there. It's the casualties that are upsetting to everyone. He clarified his position and said it would be fine to be in Iraq so long as our people are safe. It's the idea of maintaining a presence to maintain peace. It is a drag when words are taken out of context and misinterpreted. Here's a clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUE-QmH-n4Q&NR=1

And Obama being Muslim. We looked that up over the weekend. The point: misinformation abounds. We did find that he is a member of a Christian church and has been for about 12 years. He attended both Muslim and Catholic schools. The take-away is that just because he attends a Christian church, does that make him a Christian? did attendance at a Muslim school make him Muslim? or attendance at a Catholic school make him Catholic? And so--does anyone know what Hillary is? I'll look later.